Pappa's Got a Brand New Bag
by: Jim Garrett

So you want bags . . . big bags . . . bags that hold their shape . . . bags that are way stylin'. But you really don't like the "throw over" options that are on the market. You only have a couple of choices. You could buy the Leatherlykes. Huge capacity, locking capability, fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch (my own very humble opinion). You could pay for the Champion or Rifle hardbags. Nice looking, locking, not quite as large, and very expensive. Don't forget to add in the cost of painting to match your bike.

After spending a good chunk of money on custom paint (awesome job by Benny Bryant), Tink and I decided that we really didn't want the scratches that might come from throw over bags, couldn't really afford the hardbags, and wanted to increase our capacity for road trips. About the same time, Rich McDewitt modified a set of the older Royal Star Tour Classic bags to fit his V-Star 650.

I've always been a fan of the Royal bags. Every since I saw them in the Yamaha accessory catalog, mounted on a black Royal, I just knew they would make a great addition to my V. Huge capacity, fairly rigid, and very nice looking. They do not lock, but I suppose there are tradeoffs to every venture. The bags are mad of a heavy leather, I would guess 9 or 10 oz. They have a steel wire frame and plate steel bottom inside the leather to maintain their shape. The back, or mounting side, is ABS plastic. The lid is ABS as well, but covered with Leather. The lid is hinged on the outside (away from the bike) and swings open from the fender, up and out. The bag is mounted on a steel tube frame and the frame mounts using the fender mounting holes and a forward mount point (No idea what it corresponds to on the Royal). The bags come studded with Yamaha conchos, or in a plain leather with "ribs" sewn in to the sides. (Yes, Porky, I know this sounds like a condom commercial) They retail for around $750, and you still have to purchase the mounting brackets at around $150, but you can find them used in the "For Sale" section of the ISRA or STAR discussion boards. I have bought two sets, one for $550, one for $450.

The measurements I give here are notional. You must do a preliminary mount on your bike to ensure you are happy with the angle of the bags with relation to your fender. As for clearance, I don't really see it being a problem with most bikes. I have done the "Julio Slam" on my bike, so I'm about 3" lower than stock, but I run Cobra drags to give a little more space. I know the bags would fit stock pipes at stock height, but you would have to check for stock pipes on a lowered bike.

Okay, here we go. Rich managed his modification by creating a new bracket that allowed for the lowering of the rear mount point (A.), rotated the front of the mounting frame 90 degrees (C.), and skipped the front fender mounting point (B.) entirely.

Being an airplane driver, I have somewhat of a tendency for "overbuilding", so I took it a little further. I wanted to be sure I could use both fender mounting points and the front, so I knew some fabrication was going to have to take place. At the same time, I wanted the brackets to fit closely to the fender, so I would have to modify the frame itself rather than creating an additional bracket. Finally, although Rich was happy with twisting the front mount to attach to the passenger peg mounts, I really didn't want to weaken the bracket by twisting, so I took a different approach.

First I attached the bracket to one of the bags and held it up to the bike, trying to see where it would best fit with relation to the 650's fender mounts. I found that the front fender mount lined up well with the bracket, and could see how Rich was able to twist the front of the bracket to match the passenger pegs. The rear fender mount bracket was about 3 inches too low, so that was the focus of my fabrications. Time to go wander the aisles at Lowe's and see what I could come up with. After a couple of hours of wandering aimlessly, I found some 90 degree shelf brackets that I thought would be perfect for matching up the stock passenger peg holes with the forward mounting point of the bag's frame. At Walmart (Yes, Wal-Mart, Tombugg.) I found some mild steel strapping that I thought would work well for adapting a new rear mount. This little venture was going to require some kind of welding or bolts, so I invested $30 in a small propane based "hobby" welding torch.

First order of business was to remove the rear mounting tab (A.), and shave a little (about 1/8 of an inch) metal off of the front of the frame (B.) to allow it to clear the bike's frame when moved to an new angle.

About 20 Dremel cutting wheels later, I had a clean starting point for the rear bracket, and a fit on the front that would allow the frame to mount without rubbing the bike frame.

I held the frame at the angle I had found earlier by holding up the bag, and measured the distance between the top of the mounting bracket tube and the rear fender mounting hole. I then cut a piece of the strapping about 5.5 inches long to span the distance and wrap approximately &#frac34 of the way around the frame tube. After wrapping the strapping around the tube, I removed the passenger pegs and the fender mounting bolts and placed the front bolt through the bracket and allowed the front of the frame to rest approximately where it would mount. I place the strapping where it would align with the rear hole, and clamped it in place.

Welding was a new thing for me. I suppose what I did was technically brazing, but I think it is going to hold just fine. I brazed the strapping on to the frame and then went to work on the front of the mounting frame.

By using the shelf brackets I mentioned earlier, created a 90degree bracket to allow the front of the bag frame to mount directly to the passenger peg mounting holes on the bike. This may be overkill for security, but I don't see any way the bags will ever shake loose. In order to clear the bag frame and still have room to drill for the mounting bolts, I had to place the horizontal portion of my bracket on top of the bag frame. (you may also have to bend the bag frame ends very slightly for a good fit). Bolts back in the fender mounts, and mark the hole locations on the shelf bracket with a permanent marker and off to the drill!

One thing I found through trial and error. I had hoped to be able to cut the bag frames down to allow them to fit flat against the fender stays. Even though I tried (A.), there was not way the frame would fit without being pushed out by the stay. I found some nylon bushings in the toolbox that fit perfectly for holding the bracket out enough to clear. I would love to tell you where they came from, but they have been wandering around in my toolbox for a couple of years, so they could be from anywhere. A couple of thick washers between the mounting tabs and the fender stays will do the trick.

After I mounted the new 90-degree angle bracket to the bike frame, I marked the line of the old peg mount and cut the shelf bracket to match. It cleaned up the look considerably.

Finally, I used Duplicolor spray bedliner (thanks for the suggestion, Benny) to repaint the brackets. It has a rough finish that covers your less than perfect welds, and is very durable. Make sure you sand the bracket with 180 grit sandpaper to take off the gloss on the powder coat!

Here's the bag bracket mounted up:

A close up of the front mounting point:

And a couple of shots with the bags mounted (pic 10, 11)

Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome, and I'm working on a second set for Tink's bike. Good luck to all . . . it is easier than you think!